A few days later on Monday morning.
Casmir was in the training hall at his home, doing his morning routine before he left for the academy.
Later on today he would be joining a large group of older students in a expedition into a uninhabited area, also known as a Wilderness, there they would be able to train with wild ferocious beasts of Qi Grade 2 or even 3.
This was a unique experience and Instructor Redfire had only allowed Casmir to take part in it because he was among the best in his class, of course Casmir wasn't alone. Zaya and a few other top students would also be attending this outing.
Casmir was looking forward to this experience but as he conducting his morning routine there was something else on his mind that kept distracting him.
The Life Body Cycle, a part of the mysterious Life Giver Orb that had changed the course of his life, for better or for worse.
He had been constantly training the Life Body Cycle and it had slowly, but surely, progressed towards completion.
But recently his progress had stalled.
As Casmir finished his training routine while using the Life Body Cycle he decided to check on his progress through the Life Giver Orb, as he would do most days.
Casmir controlled his consciousness to dive into the shimmering crystal orb inside of his mind, he then focused on a small golden crystal that gently swam inside of it, representing the Life Body Cycle.
In return, the golden crystal sent him a familiar piece of information.
'Life Body Cycle
Completion - 99.99%
Tempers the body over time. Upon completion enhances Qi absorption rate by 20%.
Can be used on other people.'
Casmir processed this information and frowned, this was the same information he had been repeatedly given for the last week or so with no progress being made.
'Why is the progress stuck.. there must be something I'm missing..' Casmir thought to himself.
Ever since he had activated the Will Resonance state for the first time, he knew that the Life Body Cycle wasn't a simple skill. As he had progressed in the Life Body Cycle, his use of the Will Resonance state had perfected as well, seemingly mirroring his progress.
Casmir was now able to activate the state on command 9 out of 10 times, although he could only maintain the state for a few seconds before his body began to reject its control, forcing him out of the state.
This was where Casmir stood, on the precipice of a profound ability that even Master Bluefire and Instructor Redfire had taken years to master, yet he could make no progress.
'I suppose I should count myself lucky... its only taken me two months to nearly master this ability..' Casmir thought to himself.
In the end, Casmir relegated his thoughts about the Life Body Cycle to the back of his mind. He finished his training before heading inside to prepare himself and his equipment, for the expedition into the Wilderness.
=======
A couple hours later, Casmir had arrived at the academy and was waiting in an assembly area with Zaya and a few other students from his class.
Of the 8 top students in his class taking part in this training expedition, Casmir knew a few of them.
There was Braham, a short muscular man whom came from a race similar to humans in appearance, he had taken part in the strength test with Casmir a few months back.
Daroch, whom had similarly taken part in the strength test with Casmir. He was from the Floral races, specifically a Plains Ent whom had a similar bipedal structure to a humans but his body was built like a trees, his skin was bark, his hair made of leaves among other things.
Similarly to Zaya, they had both reached Qi Grade 2 and could control Qi energy outside of their bodies.
And finally there was Cor'Dana.
He was a special student from a rare Energy race called the Loras, similar to Elementals in structure but very different in form. His body was encased in a special metal suit to contain it, without the suit his body would uncontrollably expand into a 10 meter bubble of Qi energy that was dangerously acidic, it would try to break down anything it touched, including people.
This type of natural form was truly a rarity in the world and very few Loras even existed in this part of world.
Cor'Dana's metal suit resembled a knights armour and it was specially designed to be flexible and air tight but it was not to be used like traditional protective armour or it would risk rupturing. Cor'Dana's physical strength was severely limited so his metal suit wasn't designed for combat but to provide him with manoeuvrability, his true strength stemmed from his tremendous stores of Qi energy.
Cor'Dana was actually born as a Qi Grade 3 entity, as would most of his race, but because of his inexperience and poor Qi control he was much weaker than an Elemental cultivator at the same level.
This was one of the main reasons he was at the academy, to utilise their resources to train himself while also integrating into the Heldan Republic.
His race were traditionally isolationists but they weren't fools, their race had always had very low population growth perhaps to balance out their naturally high Qi energy reserves. However since the advent of the Lifeless Plague their situation had become much more serious.
Nearly every member of their race had become sterile, prompting them to throw every resource they had at researching the Lifeless Plague and hoping for a cure to be found before their population reaches a critical point.
Cor'Dana's presence here was without a doubt a means to that end, by spreading out their citizens across the world they would increase their chances.
As for how Casmir knew of Cor'Dana, that was because they were both training to become Qi refiners and would occasionally talk to one another about such things although Cor'Dana was rarely the instigator of such conversations.
Along side the three that Casmir knew of were 4 other students that Casmir recognised but didn't know very well.
Their group conversed while they waited for the Instructors to arrive and gradually many older students arrived alongside various Instructors until finally Instructor Redfire and Instructor Do'Shan arrived, they would be leading this expedition.
Instructor Do'Shan spoke to the nearly 100 older students while Instructor Redfire personally took care of Casmir's group, them being the least experienced cultivators here.
Instructor Redfire had a happy smile on is bright red Tiger-like face, the thick red fur around his head gracefully shook as if he was excited about this trip. He was also still displaying his bare muscular chest as if showing off as he walked over to Casmir's group .
He informed them that their group would be moving ahead of the main group, under Instructor Redfire guidance, to scout the path for the main group. Instructor Redfire would be able to instruct and protect them on a more personal level by doing this and he would also be able to teach them vital information about the Wilderness directly.
After explaining the general information about this trip, Instructor Redfire then spoke to them individually, confirming their status and willingness to take part in this training.
"Casmir, you're the only Qi Grade 1 cultivator on this expedition and are probably the weakest here. You need to pay extra attention to any dangers, there may be some events you cannot take part in as well." Instructor Redfire explained to Casmir.
"Also, although you are taking part in this outing and you have made great strides in your cultivation, especially your physical strength, you cannot become complacent!" Instructor Redfire strictly warned him.
Naturally Casmir nodded in understanding, he understood the difficulty of the challenges that lied ahead of him, not just in this relatively simple trip but years into his future. Casmir couldn't afford complacency as not only would he suffer but the world would suffer along side him.
As Casmir reaffirmed his responsibility, Instructor Redfire finished speaking to the rest of the students and organised them to leave the academy.
Their journey out of the city was naturally peaceful and as they reached the boundary of the city they began following alongside a large paved road that stretched out into the vast farmlands and further into the wilderness.
This simple road was actually of national importance, it was part of the National trade network and a major connection between Ellaris City and various other large towns and minor cities.
The road was in constant use by many caravans and vehicles of all shapes and sizes, most would simply be manned be regular people or Qi Grade 1 cultivators. Everyday tens of thousands if not more people would use this road to transport goods and people, it was vital to the Heldan Republics trade infrastructure.
As the expedition grew further away from Ellaris city the farms gradually disappeared yet on either side of the road there was always a cleared space of roughly 100m with no trees, shrubbery or rocks. Casmir also noticed guard towers placed every 100m or so with at least two soldiers on watch inside of them.
This was the minimal level of safety afforded to roads like this, in some more dangerous areas located near Ferocious beast domains or the borders the defences would increase exponentially.
Many of the students in the expedition passed the time by observing the workings.
As for why they couldn't use the road themselves, hiring a vehicle or something similar?
Instructor Redfire rebuked such suggestions by saying "Your body should be stronger than any machine! If you can't even run further than a lifeless object how do you call yourself cultivators?!"
Hearing such a bull-headed response a few of the students wanted to argue back, but fortunately their reason got the better of them, stopping them from making a mistake.
After a long jog over 20 kilometres along the road the group finally stopped, they were half way between Ellaris city and the nearest town. This point marked the closest major road to their camp site, they now needed to cut straight into the nearby forest and navigate the terrain towards their destination.
From now on they wouldn't be able to distract or comfort themselves by looking at the civilised infrastructure they were so used to, they would entering the wilderness and they needed to stay alert at all times.
This was also the point at which Casmir's group, led by Instructor Redfire, broke off from the main group, they went ahead of the main group maintaining a distance of over a kilometre. This was a typical formation that soldiers and guards would use to maintain safety when entering a wilderness, although this formation was solely to help train the students and not because they expected any real danger.
As Casmir's group traversed the forest Instructor Redfire began to teach them. He would occasionally stop them at a set of animal tracks, teaching them how to identify animals by their tracks and how to hunt them down.
Soon enough they even encountered a ferocious beast, it was just a breed of small fox that was only Grade 1.1. It quickly ran off when it saw the group but Instructor Redfire told Zaya to capture it, making sure not to wound it too much.
Zaya drew out her sword and quickly chased after it.
With her speed it only took a minute for her to catch up to it, she quickly and cleaned struck the fox with the side of her sword, knocking it out cold.
The fox was barely any bigger than a regular fox, Zaya picked it up with one hand and restricted its movements with a tough rope before she quickly returned.
Braham and the other students were impressed at how quickly Zaya returned with the fox, although Casmir knew she wouldn't take long.
Instructor Redfire took the fox from Zaya and spent a short time explaining some characteristics of the fox. He explained its breed, what it could grow into over time and the various factors that influence ferocious beasts growth such as the environment and various sources of Qi energy in the forest.
If the fox discovered a Qi crystal it could eat it to strengthen itself and perhaps develop unique abilities depending on the Qi crystals energy. If it killed another animal with Qi energy it could consume that animals core to grow stronger too.
All of the students knew these things of course, but experiencing them first hand helped them understand the process better.
Over the next hour or so Instructor Redfire sent each of the students out to kill or capture different low level ferocious beasts they encountered. They all handled the beasts well as this wasn't there first time in combat, throughout the last two months Instructor Redfire had trained all of the students to fight ferocious beasts.
He let them fight against many live ferocious beasts and Casmir's group were the best students in that regard otherwise Instructor Redfire wouldn't have let them come on this trip.
As their group passed through the forest, they neared a small mountain nearby. This mountain marked the boundary of the true Wilderness, pass this point they wouldn't just encounter Grade 1 ferocious beasts they would encounter Grade 2 or even Grade 3 beasts.
Just as Instructor Redfire was about to remind Casmir's group of this fact, a strange wave of Qi energy passed over the group.
Instructor Redfire's face changed dramatically and from the forest floor, he leaped up past the canopy and into the air, using his Qi energy to float there as he stared into the distance.
As Instructive Redfire floated there, the air around him pulsated as he sent wave after wave of Qi energy towards the origin of this strange wave. He also utilised various Qi techniques to heighten his senses as he looked in that same direction.
'What is that..' Instructor Redfire thought to himself.
The wave of Qi energy that passed over them was powerful, at least Grade 5 and yet it felt unstable and erratic. Instructor Redfire first assumed it was from a cultivator, their would often be high level cultivators that came to scan these vast areas of land for dangerous ferocious beast but something felt wrong with the Qi energy.
This type of feeling was a very natural development in cultivators, as they trained their Qi energy their emotions and feeling started to flow into their Qi energy producing distinctive and noticeable patterns. Just like you could look at someone's face or body to judge their emotions, you could judge their emotions from these distinctive patterns in their Qi energy.
"KRAAAA!"
A fierce cry suddenly erupted from far into the distance as if responding to Instructor Redfire's thoughts.
Instructor Redfire focused his Qi senses on this cry, he saw that over 6 km from them a giant animal at least 10m tall was running through the forest towards them. Its giant body treated the tough old trees like paper as it barged through them however the beast moved quickly as if concerned it was being followed.
When Instructor Redfire saw this animal his eyes constricted and his Qi energy started coursing through his body. It had only taken him a second to analyse this beast and realise the threat it posed both to his students and the nearest settlements.
'It's Grade 6.. likely having passed its second advancement.. its body is massive, it must have incredible physical strength and endurance.. but its Qi energy is unstable.. it must be injured...'
'... It has Dual dark and light affinity's.. what is it.... Shit! That's a Giant Shadow Wolf.. they're too quick.. it could reach the nearest settlements before any reinforcements arrive and its speed is too fast for the other instructors...'
'.. I need to contain it as best I can...but I don't have my battle suit..'
'.. Damn it! Where did this bastard come from..!'
Instructor Redfire then looked down at Casmir's group with concern, he quickly used his Qi energy to transmit his voice to the eight students as he threw a small orb towards Zaya.
"THIS IS AN EMERGENCY, HEAD NORTHWEST 820m. YOU WILL FIND A CAVE UNDER THE PROTECTION OF AN ARRAY, HIDE INSIDE IT AND DO NOT LEAVE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. I MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO REACH YOU FOR MANY HOURS SO BE PATIENT."
"I HAVE GIVEN ZAYA A BARRIER ARRAY, STAY WITHIN TEN METERES OF HER AND YOU WILL BE SAFE AGAINST ANYTHING BELOW GRADE 4."
Casmir, Zaya and the rest of his group were naturally shocked by this sudden message but they could clearly hear the concern and seriousness in Instructor Redfire's voice, so they quickly gathered around Zaya.
Suddenly a loud 'Boom!' was heard above their heads as Instructive Redfire accelerated towards the Giant Shadow Wolf. Casmir's group managed to see Instructor Redfire's Body transform, from his humanoid form into a ball of dark crimson fire that shot like a cannon towards the distance leaving a trail of fire.
They had no idea what was happening but they knew it was serious, Zaya quickly called out to them as she took the lead with Casmir.
"Quickly! Don't go further than 8m away from me! Get your weapons out and prepare for anything!"
"I'll take the lead with Casmir. Cor'Dana use your Qi energy to scan for anything nearby as we move." Zaya said.
Everyone quickly nodded before they jointly ran off towards the north-west.
Throughout the journey here none of them had broken a sweat, they had shown no fear or hesitation as they dispatched various weaker ferocious beasts but now everything had changed.
As they quickly made their way through the thick forest something sinister lurked along their path.
How they reacted to this threat would reveal their true character, benevolent or self-serving.